On this day: January 31
POSTED: 10:08 PM PST Jan 30, 2013
UPDATED: 11:00 PM PST Jan 30, 2013
The first Social Security check is issued, America launches its first satellite into orbit, McDonald's comes to Moscow, and "Avatar" hits the $2 billion mark, all on this day.
Public domain
1801: John Marshall is appointed the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. The longest-serving Chief Justice and in U.S. Supreme Court history, Marshall would dominate the Court for more than three decades and play a significant role in the development of the American legal system.
